Apprehensive at first , Ocean Diver trainee Amy Hilton breezed through her qualification dives with SevernTec Diving
Participating dive centres
BRANCHES + CENTRES
Centres Forward
SevernTec goes to Malta
Apprehensive at first , Ocean Diver trainee Amy Hilton breezed through her qualification dives with SevernTec Diving
As I write , looking out at a bright but very cold March day , I can officially and proudly call myself a scuba diver . After qualifying in Malta back in February , I am hooked on scuba !
What a week it was ! I headed out with the gang from SevernTec Diving to have a go at passing my BSAC Ocean Diving in warmer climes . I ’ d had some pool sessions and felt so excited but also a little nervous about getting into the actual sea . But the flights were booked , so off we went .
First things first – the best tip I can give to any new diver is get your medical clearance sorted ASAP if you need one . For specialist diving insurance , it ’ s likely that if you have had certain medical conditions you will need to get clearance to dive with a dive school for your insurance to be valid , so plan . You can find BSAC approved medical referees on the UK Diving Medical Committee website .
Day one of diving , we hit Cirkewwa … and I was so excited I could barely keep still . Then , in the water … were the jellyfish …
I panicked . It wasn ’ t my finest moment , but the SevernTec Team were amazing and quite literally did some hand holding to get me under the jellies and into the dive .
Then my apprehension disappeared and I loved every single second . My eyes were opened to a completely different perspective of the world . The blue of the water , the pink of the coral and even the purple of the mauve stinger jellyfish were beautiful . Not to mention all the other wonderful creatures going about their business .
I ’ m pleased to say that my dive buddy Eric and I achieved Ocean Diver status and can now refine our skills and maybe even dip our toes into some further training – we ’ re not short of options .
So , if you ’ re wondering if scuba diving might be your thing , try it out . It grabbed me from the very first session and I am so glad that it did . I ’ ve already met some fab people , the next trip is already booked , I even have my very own wetsuit and officially announce that I am a scuba diver to just about anyone who will listen ! �
Branch + Centre Partnership Scheme explained
Designed to support branches with their training , the model is that new members join your branch , train at the centre , then return to your branch as qualified divers .
Benefits to branches :
• There ’ s no cost to enter , and you can withdraw at any time
• The scheme enables BSAC clubs to take on more new members , year-round
• It assists with resource challenges , such as lack of instructors , or pool access
• The partnership supports and cements relations with local BSAC dive centres
More information and benefits at bsac . com / PartnershipScheme
Participating dive centres
ANDARK DIVING AND WATERSPORTS Southampton andark . co . uk
DIVECREW Crowthorne divecrew . co . uk
DIVERSTIME Nottingham diverstime . com
DIVEWORLD Sheffield learntodive . co . uk
DM SCUBA Bristol , Bath and Swindon dm-scuba . co . uk
DV DIVING Newtownards , County Down , NI dvdiving . co . uk
FREEDOM DIVING Sterling freedom-diving . co . uk
HARLYN DIVE SCHOOL Wadebridge harlyndiveschool . co . uk
OCEAN ADVENTURE DIVE COLLEGE St Neots , Cambs divenow . co . uk
OCEAN DIVING Basingstoke divenow . co . uk
ORCA DIVING Basildon orcascubadivingacademy . co . uk
ROBIN HOOD WATERSPORTS Heckmondwike roho . co . uk
SANDFORD & DOWN Plymouth sandfordanddowndivingplymouth . com
SCUBA SCHOOL Studley scubaschool . org . uk
SCUBA WALES Neath , Wales scuba . wales
SCUBA T DIVE CENTRE Falkirk scubats . co . uk
SEAWAYS DIVE CENTRE Falmouth seawaysdiving . co . uk
SEVERNTEC DIVING Shrewsbury severntecdiving . com
SLATERS SCUBA CENTRE Preston slatersscuba . co . uk
ST ABBS DIVE CENTRE St Abbs , Scotland stabbscharters . com
STONEY COVE Stoney Stanton stoneycove . com
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